1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an article sales data processing apparatus which performs short-range communication using electromagnetic waves with an electronic tag attached to each article to read data from a memory of each electronic tag in a non-contact manner and, based on the data read from each electronic tag, processes sales data of each article sold in one transaction.
2. Description of Related Art
Today, in the retail industry who sells articles at retail to consumers, a checkout system using an electronic tag is developed. In this system, an electronic tag is attached to articles processed at a checkout counter in sales unit.
The electronic tag is a device including a pair of an antenna and an integrated circuit (IC) chip (packaged semiconductor integrated circuit) and formed into a tag or label. The IC chip of the electronic tag is composed of a controller and a memory. In the memory of the electronic tag, an identification (ID) code assigned for identifying each tag itself is recorded.
Further, in the memory of the electronic tag attached to each article, an article code for identifying the type of each article to which the electronic tag is attached is stored. The electronic tag storing the article code in its memory is sometimes referred to as “article tag”.
The electronic tag data such as the ID code and article code stored in the memory of the electronic tag is processed in an article sales data processing apparatus such as a point-of-sales (POS) terminal. The article sales data processing apparatus is provided with an electronic tag reader for reading the electronic tag data from the electronic tag. Data communication using electromagnetic waves is performed between the electronic tag reader and electronic tag. The antenna of the electronic tag reader is provided on a checkout counter on which articles to be bought by a customer are placed.
When a customer places articles on the checkout counter, electronic tag data is read from the electronic tag attached to each article by the electronic tag reader. The read electronic tag data is sent to the article sales data processing apparatus. Based on the received electronic tag data, the article sales data processing apparatus processes sales data of the relevant article.
Even if any object is interposed between the electronic tag attached to the article and antenna of the electronic tag reader in such an article sales data processing apparatus, the electromagnetic wave passes through the interposed object to allow the read operation of the electronic tag data. Therefore, it is not necessary to have the electronic tags attached to respective articles face, one by one, the antenna of the electronic tag reader, unlike a conventional technique in which a combination of a barcode and barcode reader is used. That is, simply by placing each article to which the electronic tag is attached within the communication area of the electronic tag reader, acquisition of the data concerning the article can be completed, thereby significantly increasing the efficiency of checkout operation.
Further, it is possible to read even a plurality of electronic tags at once as far as they are located within the communication area of the antenna. This allows simultaneous processing of sales data of a plurality of articles.
However, the tag data can be read repeatedly from the electronic tag located within the communication area of the antenna. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent the article sales data processing apparatus from redundantly processing the sales data of the article to which the electronic tag whose data has already been read is attached.
To this end, it is necessary to sort out the electronic tag data of the electronic tag whose data has not yet been read from the electronic tag data of the electronic tag whose data has already been read.
An article sales data processing apparatus configured to prevent duplicate reading of the data of the electronic tag attached to the same article is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3373860. This article sales data processing apparatus has a memory area for temporarily storing a pair of an article code and serial number obtained from the same electronic tag data. Different serial numbers are respectively allocated to articles having the same article code. Accordingly, a pair of the article code and serial number differs from one article to another.
Every time a controller of the article sales data processing apparatus receives the electronic tag data from the electronic tag reader, it determines whether the article code and serial number in the received electronic tag data have already been stored in the memory area. In the case where a pair of article code and serial number corresponding to both the article code and serial number in the received electronic tag data has already been stored in the memory area, the received electronic tag data is discarded. Otherwise, a pair of article code and serial number in the received electronic tag data is stored in the memory area.
In this manner, the article sales data processing apparatus processes sales data corresponding to one transaction based on the article codes and serial numbers stored in the memory area.
The data that have been stored in the memory area are retained until the sales data corresponding to one transaction have been processed. After completion of termination processing of one transaction, the memory area is cleared for preparation of the next transaction.
However, in the case where the condition of electronic tag is not changed between the article after payment and article before payment, the data stored in the memory area are retained until the tag-attached articles in an effective state go out of the communication area of the antenna. This prevents the sales data of the articles of another customer after payment from being processed again.
There may be a case where a customer cancels the purchase of a part of the articles after he or she has placed the articles to be purchased. In this case, the electronic tag data attached to the canceled article has already been read by the electronic tag reader and sent to the article sales data processing apparatus. In this situation, a cashier performs the following actions.
Firstly, the cashier removes all the articles from the checkout counter. Then, the operator performs a key operation for clearing the memory area in which the article codes and serial numbers of the electronic tag data that have already been read are stored. Subsequently, the operator removes the canceled article from the communication area of the antenna and places the residual articles once again on the checkout counter to allow the electronic tag data of the articles to be read by the electronic tag reader.